May 11, 2017

One Room Challenge Week 6 | The Laundry Room Reveal!

The past 6 weeks have been packed with excitement and frustration as we completely gutted and remodeled our outdoor utility room. For those of you who are visiting for the first time, I'm Elizabeth and I write the posts around here. We bought our house less than a year ago and it was a big fixer upper - I mean like we couldn't even move in until 5 months of remodeling. We completely overhauled the inside and re-did the kitchen, but our outdoor utility room was left empty with only the water heater.

This will be my first and almost completely remodeled by myself space, my dad graciously helped me with the plumbing and electrical (because who wants to learn how to do that stuff on 50 year old pipes/wires?) oh, and hanging the cabinets. Not that I wasn't offered help, but I wanted to prove to myself that I was capable of doing it. You can see all the progress week by week, and I still can't believe where we were 6 weeks ago.

Week 1: Laundry Room Before and Plans
Week 2: Plumbing, Prepping Walls, Cabinets, and Mood Board
Week 3: Faux Shiplap & Water Heater Closet
Week 4: Finished Water Heater Closet and Trimmed out the Cabinets
Week 5: Open Shelf, Base Cabinet, & Final Wall Color


We didn't get any before before pictures (since my sweet husband tore everything out on a whim one day), but once we gutted the room I got some pictures of the drywall. I do have a video of it completely gutted that I shared in Week 1, but I'll share it again below. Just imagine 50 year old drywall, old metal bracket shelves covered in rust and grime and spiders - and you'll be where we really started.





6 weeks later, a few hundred dollars, and the entire That 70's Show (yes, all 200 episodes), this is where we are today.



At the end there I thought I wasn't getting anywhere, but when you spend so much time in one room you kind of become numb! Now that I look back on the before pictures of the gutted room, I realize that we really have come a long way. And I want you guys to know that I didn't go to school for this, I've never really had HGTV, and yet I was still able to do this. I just picked my fashion blog up one day and turned it into a home DIY blog - so you can do it to. All it takes is the determination and time to learn things.



Honestly, the best part about this challenge is the friends that I've made and new blogs I've been introduced to. While it's awesome that the 6 weeks deadline pushes everyone to actually finish a space, I feel like this whole thing really just brings people, home diyers, and bloggers together. And what more can you really ask for - so much thanks to Linda at CallingItHome for starting this crazy fun tradition.



The most challenging part of this entire thing was taking these pictures! The space is only 7 ft. wall to wall and there's only about 2 ft. of space between the cabinets. So I shimmy-ed on top of the dryer and cabinet to take some of these haha.






If you follow my InstaStories you'll know that I painted this bottom cabinet at the very last minute, like Tuesday! After I finished the space it just didn't feel right with a white cabinet. So I made a trip to Home Depot and got the most beautiful green - Behr Mountain Sage.
























My cheap but expensive looking item for this project - this vase. It was $10 at WalMart. It's a natural clay color with black specks and a grey cement colored top border. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it calling my name on the shelf. Pictures don't really capture all that natural texture, but it looks like hand baked clay.


The most labor intensive part of this room - this dang water heater closet! But it successfully opens as well as the cover for the water pipes. Hinges are amazing things.



My favorite part about this room is this Sitting Bull painting - painted by Oma (grandmom in Dutch). My family tells me that I get my painting/creative traits from her. She was actually my great-grandmother and lived in New York with most of my dad's family. They immigrated from Holland and Indonesia in the 50's where her son, my grandad, met my grandmom. For living such a long ways away, I have very fond memories of her. She passed away a few years ago and had one of the most inspirational funerals I've ever been to. She touched so many people's lives. This painting is not only beautiful, it reminds me to strive to positively impact others.



One last look at some side by side before and afters.

 



 



Want a look behind the scenes? Catch the entire project InstaStories. You'll see my paint debate, my wallpaper debate, and my stupid moment for this room.




And finally, what might be the most satisfying feeling - I get to check off my entire list, almost. The only thing we have left to do is install the laundry sorter in the pull out drawer in the bottom cabinet (which we will share later on). That was the only thing that I wasn't able to finish by our deadline. But hey, I still think it's not too shabby for some newbie DIYers.


To Do List
  • Put up drywall
  • Tape/Mud
  • Install upper cabinets
  • Paint ceiling (patch up rough spots)
  • Build waterheater closet (finish door)
  • Shiplap wall
  • Paint Shiplap
  • Do trim
  • Paint Washer/Dryer
  • Build lower cabinet (Finish pull out drawer)
  • Make Counter & Stain
  • Make open shelf (Cover with planks)
  • Wallpaper the other walls
  • Hardware & Flushmount 
Check out the rest of the ORC Guest Participants for Week 6 (we're #117 - everyone was on the ball this week!) and the Featured Designers below. I am looking through every single one over the weekend!

Centsational Girl | Chris Loves Julia | Christine Dovey | Dwell With Dignity | The English Room | Glitter Guide | House of Brinson | House Updated  | J+J Design Group | Lark & Linen | Abby Manchesky | Nesting Place | Old Brand New | Old Home Love | The Pink Pagoda | Rambling Renovators | Erica Reitman | Sketch 42 | Suburban B’s | Erin Williamson  
Media Partner House Beautiful | TM by CIH




10 comments:

  1. Super cute laundry room makeover - I did my laundry room for ORC - way more difficult than I expected

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    1. Thanks Andrea! Yours looks awesome too!! And it WAS way more strenuous than expected haha.

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  2. it looks awesome! i love the color on the cabinet and love your fun letterboard!

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    1. Thanks Cassie!! That green is one of my favorite parts about the room. And to think that I almost left it white! Letterfolk makes the cutest letter boards!

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  3. it looks so great!! i love the white cabinets and shiplap! :) xo jillian

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    1. Thanks Jillian! These cabinets are the prettiest!!

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  4. The room is so neatly organised and beautiful. Great job.

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  5. Love how it turned out! Love the grass cloth wallpaper and the shelf! And great idea to paint the lower cabinet!.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks so much Suzanne! I was so glad I had time for the wallpaper and cabinet paint!

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